Letters to the editor of the Pahrump Valley Times

Seeing the photos in today’s paper has prompted me to write my thoughts on the new improvements to the intersection of Bell Vista and Highway 160.

I can’t believe with all the money put into that project, and the knowledge that the intersection is the gateway to Death Valley, that they didn’t have the foresight to put in a left turn lane. That turn is used by not only cars but many tour buses.

The new design was obviously made by someone who doesn’t know the area. It has certainly been made wide enough. It appears that with remarking, this could be remedied.

James Weathers

Stupidity is more dangerous than malice

“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge”, a possible quote of Stephen Hawking or Daniel J. Boorstin, which goes hand in hand with a letter written by Dietrick Bonhoeffer on stupidity, part of which reads, “Stupidity is a more dangerous enemy of the good than malice. One may protest against evil, it can be exposed and if need be prevented by use of force. Evil always carries within itself the germ of its own subversion in that it leaves behind in human beings at least a sense of unease. Against stupidity we are defenseless. Neither protests, nor use of force accomplish anything here, reason falls on deaf ears, facts that contradict one’s prejudgment simply need not be believed in such moments. The stupid person even becomes critical and when facts are irrefutable, they are pushed aside as inconsequential, as incidental. In all this, the stupid person, in contrast to the malicious one, is self-satisfied and being easily irritated, becomes more dangerous by going on the attack. For that reason, greater caution is called for than a malicious one. Never again will we try to persuade the stupid person with reason, for it is senseless and dangerous.”

The Reverend Bonhoeffer wrote this, along with other letters from a Nazi prison, being jailed for sedition against Hitler and the Nazis. He died there a few months before the end of the war.

Our divisions have been around since our founding, but maybe not since pre-Civil War days have the previous president and much of his party brought to the surface and highlighted the deepest divisions the USA has and agitating them, causing a pendulum swing, and the election of this president, with also degrees of the “illusion of knowledge” as well as stupidity.

The coronavirus has put a financial strain on many families and businesses. The government, financial institutions and other organizations are rallying to support those in need. As more support is offered to Americans and businesses that are struggling financially, the threat of fraud is increasing.

The mail-in ballot process for this year’s primary has changed how campaigns for office are conducted in this election. The campaigning season is shorter, and there is less advertising by candidates as a consequence.

On May 15, city officials declared Atwater, California a “sanctuary city.” Not for undocumented immigrants, but for businesses and churches who choose to ignore governor Gavin Newsom’s COVID-19-related shutdown orders. The city won’t be enforcing the governor’s edicts. Those edicts, mayor Paul Creighton told local businesses, are “between you and the state of California.”

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